LOCATION MUIRAL                  NV

Established Series
Rev. ARW-PWB-JVC-JBF
11/2016

MUIRAL SERIES

The Muiral series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone, dolomite, or calcareous siltstone. Muiral soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 410 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Calcic Haplocryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Muiral gravelly loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 5 percent gravel and about 15 percent tree branches.

Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed plant material composed of tree litter; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)

Oe--3 to 8 cm; moderately decomposed plant material composed of tree litter; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 or 5 cm thick)

A1--8 to 15 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear irregular boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

A2--15 to 30 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 23 cm thick)

Bw--30 to 58 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly loam; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)

Bk--58 to 91 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, few fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few (1 percent) very fine concretions and few (1 percent) fine pendants on bottom of rock fragments; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 56 cm thick)

2R--91 cm; hard calcareous siltstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 10 miles southwest of Currie in the Cherry Creek Mountains; approximately 600 feet east and 1,400 feet south of the northwest corner of section 16, T. 26 N., R. 63 E.; USGS Mount Taylor 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 07 minutes 55 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 52 minutes 56 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1469444 latitude, -114.8816667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry from middle through late summer; xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 3 to 7 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to the cambic horizon: 18 to 30 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a lithic contact measured from the mineral soil surface.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent;
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, with 25 to 55 percent gravel and 10 to 20 percent cobbles and stones.
Lithology of fragments is sedimentary rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and hard siltstone.

A horizons
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist; lighter than 5 dry and 3 moist when the upper 18 cm of the mineral soil is mixed.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or slight effervescence.

Bw and Bk horizons
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam, silt loam, or sandy loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky, or massive.
Rock fragments: 40 to 60 percent gravel and cobbles. Texture modifiers are very gravelly or extremely gravelly.
Reaction: Slightly acid through moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.
Effervescence: None to slight.

C horizon (when present)
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Danavore, Firada, Poso and Vandamore series.

Danvore soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact.
Firada soils have a Bk with a calcium carbonate equivalent of 5 to 15 percent.
Poso soils are very deep.
Vandamore soils have an A horizon with a reaction of slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Muiral soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone, dolomite, or calcareous siltstone. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 2,130 to 3,355 meters. The climate is dry-subhumid with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 360 to 460 mm.The mean annual temperature is 2 to 6 degrees C.The frost-free period is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Wardbay and Haunchee soils. These soils have mollic epipedons. In addition, Haunchee soils are shallow to lithic contacts.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Muiral soils are used livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of Engelmann's spruce and white fir with an understory of bluebunch wheatgrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, mountain gooseberry, and common juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28B and 28A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada (Western White Pine County Area), 1990.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Organic soil material - The zone from the soil surface to 8 cm (Oi and Oe horizons).
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (Oi, Oe, A1, and part of the A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 30 to 91 cm (Bw and Bk horizons).
Identifiable secondary calcium carbonates - The zone from 58 to 91 cm (Bk horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 91 cm to underlying hard bedrock (2R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 91 cm (Bw and Bk horizons and part of the A2 horizon).

The revision of December 2006 updated the taxonomic class from Xeric Eutrocryepts based on the tenth edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2006.

The revision of April 2003 updated the typical pedon and adjusted horizon depths for the Oi horizon as the soil surface.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.